Maine Commission Moves To Ban Gender Specific Bathrooms

[Guest Wry]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/08/maine...athrooms-teams/

Critics seem especially concerned about the mixing of genders in bathrooms and locker rooms. The commission's proposal reads: "Transgender students must be allowed access to the bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity or expression or, if they prefer, to existing single-stall bathrooms."

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet, but I doubt many people here read foxnews.com; I only do because I'm a masochist.

Oh, and if you don't want to get angry, don't look at the comments. Seriously, don't. The ones on foxnation.com are worse, but these ones are still pretty irritating.

[Guest Sotha]

Without students being obligated to provide something to prove they are actually transgendered in order to gain entrance to the other restrooms, the proposal would allow nontrans individuals to take advantage of the system to do... things they shouldn't be. As it currently is, it wouldn't work. The single-stall restroom thing is fine though.

[Guest Eth]

Without students being obligated to provide something to prove they are actually transgendered in order to gain entrance to the other restrooms, the proposal would allow nontrans individuals to take advantage of the system to do... things they shouldn't be. As it currently is, it wouldn't work. The single-stall restroom thing is fine though.

What's wrong with two people of the same, opposite or whatever gender or sex being in the same rest room?

[Guest Donna Jean]

That drives me crazy.....

I mean.....it's what every living being on earth does everyday along with suckling babies..

It's the most natural of natural things in existance...

Why does it have to be such a controversy?

As long as there's some privacy of a stall.....*sigh*

Donna Jean

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Well

I see the trend. Many restrooms in New Orleans now have the double male/female signs - which means 'either.' Its more convenient anyway - less waiting.

I understand Europe restrooms are neutral.

SO BE IT!

Lizzy

[Guest Donna Jean]

Yes.......

And as a rule, females take a little more time in the restroom...

I've been to music concerts where the men's room line was moving smoothly and the Ladies line had seemingly stopped...

It just takes longer...there's more to do!

Women would begin going into the men's room without a care in the world as to what the men were doing and use the stalls!

Donna Jean

[Guest Elizabeth K]

As a building designer? Weird thinking for some of you - consider this - here is how it works - same number of 'stations' for males and females plus add one on the womens side. (like two wcs and three urinals, men - six wc , females)

[A wc is the polite word for toilet = water closet] -

BUT in the larger application - it gets larger for the women's side (like churches, stadiums and theaters). Women have to disrobe a bit - also tend to take longer to wash up, when using the bathroom. Plus men can use a urinal in about 10 seconds.

Now that I use the women's restroom (female mode) as much as the male (male mode) - I see a few more factors - mainly women often have children in tow... they often ask each other for help (toilet paper, tissues, personal hygine items) which never happens in a men's room.

Unisex restrooms, in my opinion, would require the following changes:

General - they would have to be kept reasonably clean. The stall would have to have definate locks, and they would have to be designed to prevent seeing into the gaps from either direction - especially the doors.

Men - men would have to use a specially enclosed urinal area.

It would probably still be better to have a men's wash up area separate from a woman's as women carry purses, packages, wraps, and kids - needing more counter space.

Women - women would lose a lot of visitation priviledges - as there are conversations in the women's rooms that are very personal.

okay

Smaller restrooms - easy! Larger restrooms, say for 10 or more people - less likely to be unisex anytime soon.

[Guest Donna Jean]

Yeah, Lizzy....that's exactly what I was talking about!

You were better able to explain it!

Thanks, Hon!

LOVE

Donna Jean

[Guest Ryles_D]

Without students being obligated to provide something to prove they are actually transgendered in order to gain entrance to the other restrooms, the proposal would allow nontrans individuals to take advantage of the system to do... things they shouldn't be. As it currently is, it wouldn't work. The single-stall restroom thing is fine though.

Yeah... Because the "women's" sign is actually a magic ward that prevents everyone who doesn't either have an F on their birth certificate or a note from their therapist from using it. Men hang out in women's rooms to assault people already- and it's probably easier than if they were a mixed thing. A man hanging out in the bathroom is suspicious no matter where you are (a woman might be as well- but she's more likely to be fixing her makeup or something).

In a mixed bathroom- your just as likely to have the next person come in be a man who notices said suspicious behavior and calls him on it as to have the next person be a woman who gets assaulted. A man hanging out just to assault the next hapless female would be putting himself in a much greater risk in a unisex bathroom than one where he can be 99.99999% certain that the next person to enter will be a woman.

Smaller restrooms - easy! Larger restrooms, say for 10 or more people - less likely to be unisex anytime soon.

Places that need larger restrooms generally have the resources to put in a unisex bathroom as well. Most places choose to anyways these days- it's easier for parents and people who are disabled (usually the disabled cubicle is way at the end- rather than just having to open the door).

Mall? Unisex ("Family") bathroom as well. Airports? Unisex option. Convention Center? Unisex option. Lowes? Unisex option.

If you need a large restroom- often they put in a unisex bathroom right next to them. That way people who have limited mobility or have kids in tow don't have to deal with trying to navigate a busy restroom or waiting in line. Bonus: People like us don't have to deal with the hassle of being harassed just for taking a whiz.

[Guest Anna_Banana]

While I understand "all" news organizations have their biases, it seems that FOX News is always bending to the right of stupid. First and foremost, the title of the article is VERY MISLEADING. The Maine Commission is not banning gender specific restrooms. There are still going to be two facilities: one with a picture of a stick figure and the other with the picture of a stick figure that has pointy-triangles coming out of its sides. None of that is going to change. What may change is the school's ability to say that sex is equal to gender, and thus able to prevent a person from one sex entering a certain gender's bathroom. Regardless, you are going to be hard-pressed to find boys walking into the girl's room and vice versa. Any man's man would be embarrassed if they were caught in the lady's room. Everyone would make fun of him and his reputation would be shot.

As for rape, who exactly enforces bathrooms now? When I went to the bathroom today at college, there wasn't a guard standing post outside the door. I could have been raped! Who was there to protect me? And there certainly wasn't anyone watching the lady's room either. So there is no guard, no cameras, and no call system? Wouldn't you say that our current bathroom establishment is unsafe? I mean, if one is really concerned about a man walking into the lady's room, why aren't their safeguards in place to prevent this?

Since people tend to overlook my longer posts, I'll post the rest of my response in another post.

.Anna

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Interesting....

Many clubs that I used to frequent... the restrooms were gender neutral (and that was years ago!!!)

Brenda